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“It’ll use radiant heat, of course. You wouldn’t believe the advances made in solar power these days. There’s a great new system that runs heated glycol through deep sand beds, and that will be bolstered by a geothermal system.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
Quinn peeled back the top sheet, and Lori sucked in a deep breath at the sight of the other side of the house.“Wow.”
A rear wing jutted out from the back of the house like an off-kilter T. The farthest edge seemed to disappear into a cliff wall or at least lean against it for support. This side of the house consisted almost entirely of windows.
“It’s amazing, Quinn.”
“Do you like it?”
“Don’t be stupid. Of course I like it. It’s beautiful.”
“Would you like a tour?”
She blinked, then turned toward Quinn to find him waiting with a little boy’s smile, tentative and excited at the same time. “A tour?”
The smile bloomed into full-out delight. “Yeah. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the desk chair.
“Wait! I’m happy to listen. You don’t have to tie me up.”
“I won’t. Not yet.” He sat her in the chair, spun her toward the computer and tapped a few keys.
“What is this?”
“A drafting program.” The computer whirred for a few moments before Quinn’s home popped to life on the screen. It looked even more impressive from the angle of someone standing on the front drive. Quinn showed her how to direct the view, and soon Lori was walking toward the front door.
“Wow,” she said again as she moved inside the house and spun the view around. “Wow.” She barely had time to take in the antique wood struts of the two-story ceiling before Quinn pointed toward the kitchen, urging her on. The kitchen was dark, distressed wood and copper accents, lit by tall windows set above the cabinetry. She wanted to linger there, pretend she was resting her weight against the countertop while Quinn made her breakfast. But he waved her forward.
“Is this a tour or a race?” she complained, but Quinn pointed to the large room beyond the kitchen. She glided forward obediently. And then she saw what he wanted her to see.
The living room. Or maybe the office if the desk and tall bookshelves were any indication. She didn’t really care, because all she could see was the glass wall that looked out over the view beyond. Hundreds of square feet of mountains and trees and sky. It was gorgeous on the computer. It would be breathtaking in real life.
After staring at the computer-generated view for a few minutes, Lori noticed something odd. The long glass didn’t stop at the far wall, because there was no wall. There was only rock. The house really did disappear into the mountain, or rather, the mountain was part of the house.
“How did youdothat?” she whispered.
“It’s dry rock,” he said. “Meaning it’s not wet. When I found this land, I knew immediately what I wanted to do with this house, but I had to wait until the next spring to be sure it was feasible. I couldn’t have snowmelt dripping into my house three months of the year.”
“Does the glass go into the rock?”
“No, it’s just hand-shaped to fit the contours perfectly. And caulked, of course. The beam above it does go deep into the rock for support.”
“Amazing. It feels like you’re outside.”
“Yeah.” She could hear the grin in his voice. “Here.” He pointed toward the kitchen door, but Lori pushed his hand away.
“You’re worse than a first grader. Let me relax and look around!”
“Okay. Sorry.” He tried to look abashed, but failed. “I’ll let you look.” Backing away, he jerked his thumb toward the drafting table. “I’ll be over here. Take your time.”
“Thanks.”
“Let me know if you have any questions.”
“Got it.” She clicked the mouse and retraced her previous steps so she could start at the beginning again.
“Don’t forget to go out the back door.”
